Most buyers/sellers check online referrals

• According to the study, 45 percent of people used from two to four sources of information before deciding to do business with a company, and 19 percent used more than five sources, including social media, ratings sites, online profiles and friend or family recommendations.
• Almost half of consumers – 48 percent – said they made a decision to purchase based on secondaryinformation about the company, Peaslee says; and they spent twice as much time making a decision, on average, as those relying solely on primary information.
• When asked why consumers didn’t choose a business, 55 percent said it was based on negative reviews or ratings, and 37 cited inconsistent or incorrect information online.

Source: Florida Florida Realtors